


The way you are

by alittlenutjob



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:50:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4376114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlenutjob/pseuds/alittlenutjob
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a prompt on tumblr: Can I just say a prompt? Idk if anyone's still taking these but I'll probably forget if I don't get it out my head now hahaha cliff thinking there's something going on between Mindy and Danny (say between dcimpt and la) and asking her about it, like he doesn't think she's cheating or anything but he can see that Danny likes her</p>
            </blockquote>





	The way you are

“You look so beautiful.” Cliff's breath flowed over her throat as he pushed her further into the stack of pillows so carefully laid by housekeeping while they'd been out all afternoon; Cliff on the slopes as Mindy had downed glass after glass of champagne and shopped on her phone for some new skirts short enough to show off her legs. Well, show them off when she got this stupid brace off.

Mindy blushed, almost. More accurately she turned her head bashfully to the side as Cliff leaned in to nibble the sensitive skin below her ear. If he took it for a blush, then maybe he'd keep whispering compliments, and maybe he'd finally find the one that made her blush for real. She'd been pretty tipsy already when he'd returned pink cheeked and exhausted, and they'd opted for room service that sat in the corner of the room untouched. He'd pounced on her the moment he got out of the shower, and as flattering was it was to be so irresistible that her undeniably hotter boyfriend couldn't even wait to dry his hair before he grabbed her she was more tired than turned on.

On paper this was the perfect ski weekend. This suite was out of control, resort staff apparently doesn't argue with pretty much any request when your boyfriend's Amex is black, and the sprained ankle got her out of not only the skiing, but the hot tub too. It was kind of a shame after all those workouts with Danny, but whatever. She'd lost another 2 pounds before she got here and she'd just keep working out with him so she'd really be bikini ready for Cliff by the time she talked him into Barbados for a spring thing. God, she could only imagine what kind of resort Cliff might spring for and how many of her meals she'd be drinking straight out of a pineapple. Danny would never waste money on hotels with weird butlers and swim-up bars. He was probably cutting coupons in his office right now. Such a weirdo.

 _Why the hell am I thinking about stupid Danny?_ She pushed Cliff away a little so she see his beautiful blue eyes. All her life she'd wished for eyes like his, blue as tidal pools. Brown eyes are so basic. Danny had brown eyes, and she couldn't think of anything more boring than looking into eyes like her own every day. She drew in a big breath and tried to clear her head of eyes brown like old pennies. “Do you ever wish I had blue eyes?”

Cliff's eyes were a little glassy as he met hers. “What?”

“I mean, there are a lot of things I'd like to change about myself, and I can change some of them, but my eyes are brown and they're always going to be brown. Don't you ever think about things like that?”

His brows wrinkled in confusion. “About having brown eyes? No.”

“I mean don't you think about the things you would change about yourself.”

“I guess. I mean, I guess I could work out more, get a little bulkier.”

Oh god, Cliff's body. Why was she even bringing this up when she was currently pinned under all that hotness. Was it the wine? The next stupid question was past her lips before she could stop it. “What about things you can't change?”

“You could get blue contacts.” Cliff slid his fingertips along her jawline as he leaned in for another kiss.

Mindy tipped her chin, bringing her lips just out of his reach. “I tried that. I just look weird.”

He sighed and rolled away from her. “Where's this coming from?”

“You know how I told you I sprained my ankle working out?”

“Let me guess, you really sprained it running after that delivery guy who always forgets your fries.”

“What? No. I really did work out. You can ask Danny. I went to his weird gym every day for weeks.”

His eyes dropped to the brace on her leg, and she could practically feel his gaze as it moved north, stopping uncomfortably long on her stomach, barely pausing at her chest. “You went to the gym with Danny?”

“Yeah. I tried to get Morgan to be my trainer, but he spit on me.”

“Why?”

“Why does Morgan do anything?” Mindy smoothed her dress down, running her hand over her stomach self-consciously. “Anyway, Danny agreed to train me and I sprained my ankle in the steam room.”

Cliff chuckled. “You're so graceless.”

“Excuse you. I am graceful. I am graceful. I just needed to get away from stupid Danny being stupid.”

“Danny went into the steam room with you?”

“It's a co-ed steam room. Don't worry, I'm not going back to his death trap gym.”

He leaned against the headboard. “Good.”

“Why? Don't you want me to be fit?”

“Good, I don't think you should work out with Danny.”

“Why not?”

“He's weird about you.” Cliff's eyes flick toward her again, this time definitely stopping on her chest. “If he wasn't my friend too I think I'd have to keep an eye on him when it comes to you.”

Mindy's heart fluttered uncomfortably. “Danny's not weird about me! Well, he's weird about everything, but not like _weird_ weird, not about me. We're just friends.”

Cliff rolled his eyes. “Says every person who's ever turned around and cheated on their spouse with their 'friend.'”

“Hey! I'm not cheating on you with Castellano.”

Cliff frowned. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“When you want me to stop talking about Danny you call him by his last name.”

“We barely even talk about Danny.” She let the emphasis fall on the name and watched his face for a reaction.

“Why don't we, though? He's basically your best friend, right? Why don't you talk about him more?”

“Cliff, you and I, we don't talk much.” She scooted up into a sitting position, moving carefully to avoid doing further damage to her ankle. “We basically start ripping each other's clothes off every time we get behind a closed door. Do you want me to talk about work, or do you want me to do that thing I do?”

“I want you to do that thing. That's what I was trying to do when you asked me about blue eyes. Why do you want blue eyes?”

“I don't think I do, not anymore.”

“So why'd you even ask?”

“I don't know.” Mindy shrugged awkwardly. She couldn't back out of this argument without admitting that she hadn't been thinking about the man with his lips on her throat. “I think about how I'd change myself a lot. I was just wondering if you ever thought about that.”

“Okay then, what would you change?”

Mindy bit her lip as the memory of that afternoon in Danny's office threatened to finally draw out the blush she'd faked earlier. She looked away. “My boobs aren't great. I could stand to lose like 13 pounds. I hate my stomach.”

“Stop. You're beautiful. Didn't I just tell you that you were beautiful? Stop thinking about that stuff.”

Mindy slumped against the headboard next to him with relief. Danny had told her that guys don't care about this stuff and she should have just let it go then. “Thanks, Cliff.”

His hand covered hers and the gentle squeeze he gave her filled her heart with real hope. She shouldn't have let this body stuff and dumb Danny Castellano and his dumb puppy dog look get in her head. She turned to Cliff and pulled him to her with one hand as the other tried frantically to tug his towel off his hips. He reached down to grab the hem of her sweater dress and pulled it up while she lifted her arms up so he could get it over her head quickly.

“Besides, you won't have a stomach if you lose that 30 pounds.”

“30? Did you say 30?” He ducked the first pillow as he scrambled out of the bed, but next one caught him square in the face.

“Whoa, you said 30!

"No I did not!"

"What did you say?”

“I said thirteen. I'd basically be dead if I lost 30 pounds. What the hell, Cliff?”

“Mindy! Min! Calm down.”

“Don't tell me to calm down, you jerk. I knew you thought I was fat.”

“Mindy. listen to me. I didn't mean 30. I just heard you wrong.” He reached for her hand again and she jerked it out of the way.

“If you think you're getting laid now, you're out of your mind.”

“Hey, let's not get crazy!”

“Too late dummy. Good thing you got a suite. Hope that sofa is as comfy as it looks.”

“Oh come on, Min.”

“Don't Min me.”

“Why?”

She hesitated. “Min is for people who like me the way I am.”

“What, like Danny?”

That awful flutter came back, her chest like a cage. She didn't feel uncomfortable talking about the steam room, but for some reason talking about the things Danny said later felt like telling a secret. “No, not like Danny.”

“I get it. He told you that you were perfect the way you are. He likes you, Mindy. He'd say a lot of things for your attention. You're not perfect.” He ducked the last pillow she had her her arsenal. “I'm not perfect either! But I'll always tell you the truth.”

“Oh yeah, what's that? I need a boob job? That I need to lose THIRTY POUNDS?”

“No! No, I mean get a boob job if you want one, don't get one if you don't. Lose weight, don't lose weight. But wouldn't you rather be with someone who tells you if you have spinach in your teeth than someone who lets you walk around all day with green teeth?”

“I... guess. Yeah, I would.”

“That's all I'm saying. Don't get mad at me for not being Danny. No one really feels like that. Just, be yourself. But your best self. Isn't that what you want?”

“Maybe.”

“Come on let's get back in bed. We're on vacation, we've been having some fun, we just had a dumb couple fight. Let me make it up to you.”

“A couple fight?”

“Yeah, we're a couple. right?”

Mindy shrugged. “I wasn't sure. I mean, I haven't been dating anyone else, but I don't know.”

“Hey, hey.” He pulled her to him and hugged her tight. “Is that what this is about? You think we're just messing around?”

She buried her head in his chest and breathed in the scent of his bodywash. “It hasn't been that long, and I'd like it to be going somewhere, but I can never tell.”

Cliff pushed her away and held her by her arms. “I'd like it to go somewhere too.”

Mindy smiled. It had been too easy to let that insecurity in again. She definitely owed some prayers of thanks to someone for putting Cliff out on that terrace the night she thought he'd gone away and the weird thing happened with Danny. Danny and Cliff weren't even comparable and she was stupid for even thinking for a second that she should throw away this bird in the hand for the sweaty, Italian bird in the bush. Yeah, maybe sometimes he looked at her like she was the sun, but if it was going to happen it would have happened years ago, right?

She bit her lip and grinned. “So, you were going to make it up to me?”

Cliff's towel hit the floor at the same time that Mindy hit the mattress.

\- - - -

Later, as she hobbled to the bathroom, phone in hand, she had the strangest impulse to text Danny. The reply came back almost instantly.

 

_Danny, u awake?_

 

_I am now. what do you want?_

 

_Cliff said no one really likes people just the way they are_

 

_Maybe Cliff doesn't_

 

_would u tell me if I had spinach in my teeth?_

 

_You've never eaten spinach in your life. Go to bed._

 

_fwiw I'd tell you_

 

_Thanks I guess what's fwww?_

 

_fwiw. For what it's worth. I've told u 10000 times_

 

_Okay_

 

 

He did this thing when he was humoring here where his eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit, but you could tell that he wanted to smile. She could picture it now, the corner of his lip curling up as his eyes shone. Maybe there is something to dark eyes. She typed something and hit send before she could second guess herself.  

 

_i like you just the way you are_

 

_Go to bed, you're drunk_

 

_it's go home you're drunk_

 

_What_

 

_nm. Goodnight_

 

_Night, Min._

 

_cya next week_

 

Mindy turned off the bathroom light before opening the door and snuck back into the bedroom silently, listening for Cliff's even breath and trying not to jostle him as she got back into bed. The message alert pinged and she jumped a little, but Cliff didn't move a muscle. She cupped her hand around the display. Two messages. Stupid Danny, always had to have the last word. 

 

_fwiw_

 

_me too_

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a random for Mix Tape, but it ran a little long. It's a bit of a warmup for another project plus a little Bridget Jones because why not?


End file.
